[Infographic] Independent E-Signatures and Digital Forensics

Hardy Boys take note – sleuthing has entered a new era and it doesn’t involve a magnifying glass.

To get to the bottom of many investigations today, it takes a close look at what’s happening digitally. Why? Check out this infographic from Prudential Associates that points out:

• 83 percent of all U.S. households own a computer.
• 91 percent of consumers check their email once a day.
• 92 percent of executives own a smartphone they use for business.

Combine those statistics with the fact that $12.7 million was lost in the U.S. to digital crime, a 9 percent increase over the previous year, and it’s no surprise that the use of digital forensics – the investigation of evidence found in digital devices— is on the rise. It’s part of our modern-day, cyber-infused culture.

Digital forensics can be used to investigate a number of legal and criminal issues, such as forgeries and fraud, but this infographic also points to the value of the meticulous tracking and transparency of data evidence. Not only can it prove the outcome of an investigation involving digital technology, but it can also be a legally empowering tool for companies using e-signatures. Signatures, after all, must communicate consent, and if the signature’s digital evidence doesn’t prove that consent, well, all could be lost in a courtroom. (Needless-to-say, you want data evidence in your corner of the ring.)

Because independent e-signature technology like ours gives users complete transparency over what’s happening before, during and after the signing process, it does digital forensic work for you proactively via:

• Identity authentication. Identity authentication technology can range from verifying a signer’s email address to sending a pass code via a text message on a cell phone to require signers to answer questions based on information tightly held in public databases. Unlike what usually happens with a pen and paper, these electronic vetting methods provide proof that signers are who they say they are.

• Comprehensive audit trails. Audit trails track and timestamp every step of the signing process. It records when documents are uploaded, when emails are sent to signing parties, when documents are viewed, signed and everything in between. It tells an important story that can hold up in court.

• Tamper-evident technology. Whether maliciously attempting to alter contents of a document or fixing a typo, there shouldn’t be any guesswork as to whether or not someone has made changes to your e-signed document. Tamper-evident technology alerts users to any changes that occur once the document has been signed.

• Perpetual access to evidence. Because our Independent E-Signatures™ permanently embed a digital signature and its cryptographic information into the PDF file that is signed, the digital evidence that verifies a signature goes wherever the document goes. It can be accessed online and offline and doesn’t require any special technology to view it. Thus, you are forever armed with proof that your e-signature is valid.

Today, the digital details matter. A lot. Make sure your e-signature technology is its own detective and provides you with legal legs to stand on – should you ever need it.